Delta Dental of Arkansas Blog

5 tips to help relieve headaches

What do hitting your head, dehydration and hunger all have in common? They may be the
cause of your headache. While you can usually manage these headaches with rest, water and food, some headaches are signs of a more serious problem such
as TMJ. This disorder is often difficult to detect, however, there are telltale signs that you have this painful disorder.
When you’re singing loudly in the car, does your jaw click on those high notes? Clicking and popping are two very common symptoms of jaw disorders like
TMJ. Neck pain and earaches also make appearances as symptoms of TMJ. Most victims of TMJ do not visit the dentists and tend to suffer in silence. If I
have just described your symptoms, you CAN take measures to reduce the pain you are feeling. In honor of National Headache Week (June 1-7) here are 5 self-care
tips for you to try: 1) Avoid foods that require a lot of chewing. 2) Avoid activities that involve intense jaw movement (this means no singing loudly!). 3) Massage the affected areas when pain is present. 4) Practice techniques for relaxing and reducing stress. 5) Apply ice packs to sooth the muscles. If
you try these techniques and they do not work, see your dentist and ask about a mouth guard. While mouth guards may take the “beauty” out of “beauty sleep”,
they can help absorb the pressure while you are sleeping which hopefully means you won’t have to live with those headaches anymore! For more tips to avoid
teeth grinding, check out our blog entry from April: Attention Night Grinders: Here are 5 Ways to Reduce Stress